The Joule
A storied past, a new vision
More than just steers and queers, Gay Dallas is a thriving cosmopolitan city with wonderful museums, culture and beautiful men and women. Dallas boasts two thriving LGBT neighborhoods, both just minutes from Downtown. A lot of gay/lesbian bars are found in the Oak Lawn neighborhood, but many are peppered throughout the city. In fact, there are several gay bars and clubs all within walking distance of the Cedar Springs strip.
In the summer, Dallas tends to be warm and dry. Temperatures can reach into the triple digits. Winters tend to be mild, with normal daytime highs ranging from mid 50s-70s. For those of you who like it hot, Big D is the city for you! Dallas, like most major cities in the United States, offers a variety of transportation options. There are light rail lines, bike/walking paths, buses, a trolley system and seven interstate systems serving the metropolitan area. No matter what scene, type or fetish you’re into, you can find it in Dallas. Party on Friday and Saturday and repent in the city’s LGBT megachurch, the Cathedral of Hope, on Sunday. Hallelujah!
Texans are proud to say that everything is bigger in the Lone Star State. One visit to “The Strip,” the center of gay life along Cedar Springs Road, and you will see what we mean. The nightlife venues are gargantuan! Every place has at least one outdoor patio.
The concentration of gay life is also very convenient, allowing you to park once and visit several venues throughout the night. The biggest spots are the Round Up Saloon, recently nominated as one of the top gay bars in the world by TripOut, and S4, which is right across the street. S4 is a mixed crowd, but it’s so gay that even the straight boys are confused. The club has an outdoor patio, an enclosed and basically soundproof chill area, a giant dance floor with kinetic lights, and the Rose Room with drag shows every weekend.
Surrounding these nightclub behemoths are 7 bars to whet your whistle: TMC, JRs, Sue Ellen’s, Havana, Woody’s (Is there one in every city?!), the Drama Room and Alexandre’s. In a 30-block radius, there are several other popular spots, like Kaliente, the Tin Room, BJ’s NXS, the Eagle, and Joe/Brick’s Bar. The Big D’s Big Gay scene makes it a solid place to come for a gay holiday, or a regular ol’ holiday with a shade of gay. The vibe on the strip during the weekend is one of revelry, where it’s easy to make friends with the mostly inebriated. Dallas is an entertaining and relatively affordable place to party and a very pleasurable destination to get your gay on!
Everything at La Duni has a little twist, from the Latin dishes like breakfast tacos or brunch chile relleno, to more traditionally inspired plates like the salmon scramble and rum banana nut waffle. Even the drinks are amazing. The Viennese Truffled Ice Chocolate Milk is indulgent, and if it's a Sunday Funday, go for the hand-muddled Mojito or Mimosa made with hand-squeezed orange juice. You won't be disappointed!
Gloria’s is simply GLORIOUS! This unique restaurant offers a variety of Sal-Mex food. (That’s “Salvadorian and Mexican” for you Yankees.) Everything there is delicious! There are several locations around Dallas, so you’re always near one! The Lemmon and Addison locations also serve brunch, so if you want to try a Sal-Mex omelet or some migas, go Sunday morning.
Bread Winners Cafe & Bakery
This quaint little cafe is all the rage since Kim Kardashian visited her favorite Dallas spot whenever Khloe and Lamar lived in Dallas for a couple months! But aside from it’s celebrity hot spot, Bread Winners is a soft, easy space where anyone (famous or not) can enjoy the multitude of flavorful treats and delicious sandwiches and salads!
Mercy Wine Bar has a wide variety of delicious and fancy food as well. Do not miss the pomme frites with truffle oil (French fries for you non-francophones). On the weekend, they have live music, but their choice of house music is just as good!
The Grapevine Bar is located just a few blocks from Cedar Springs, so you get a good mix of gays and straights. Inside, you’ll find a bar and pool table. In the back yard, there is a covered patio, open-air patio, rooftop patio, and a kitchen. The kitchen serves a wide variety of tasty food, from cheese fries to burgers and sandwiches.
Now, would we be Texas without a Gay Friendly Country bar? I think not! Round-Up Saloon is a bar/dance club where all the best Cowboys put on their Cowboy best attire and all the “non-cowboys” go there to find them a Country Boy ;) But aside from that, the club is very diverse, offering Country music as well as up to date music for all to enjoy!
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